


Good Things Come From the Unexpected

by flashytonystark



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV), Game of Thrones RPF, Modern Westeros - Fandom
Genre: Adopted Children, Adoption, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aunt Sansa Stark to the rescue, Aunts & Uncles, Babies, Character Death, Complicated Relationships, Death, Don't think of it in a bad way, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotions, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, First Baby, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Grandmothers, Implied Jon Snow/Robb Stark, Implied/Referenced Incest, M/M, Major Character(s), Married Characters, Minor Canonical Character(s), Minor Character(s), Minor Jon Snow/Robb Stark, Modern Era, Modern Westeros, Moving On, Murder, New Parent, Non-Canon Relationship, Non-Canonical Character Death, Original Character(s), Robb Lives, Robb Stark has no idea how to be a dad, RobbJon, Sibling Bonding, So many tags, Support, Surprises, The Night's Watch, Wedding Planning, Weddings, just give this a chance bc the story isn't even really about that, new dad, unexpected death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-15 06:09:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9222467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flashytonystark/pseuds/flashytonystark
Summary: After having his life turned upside-down with one single moment, Robb Stark soon learns that there is more in store, and it's coming quickly and there's really no stopping it.As the uncertainty about where his life is headed and how he's supposed to move on all while being a new, first time dad and single parent begins to weigh down on him, Robb will have no choice but to rely on his family and lean on them whenever necessary. He'll learn a lot about himself and that sometimes, it's okay to break down and that it's okay to not know the answer to every little thing.Lots of funny and serious moments, family drama, and surprise engagements will keep Robb Stark on his feet, but nothing will keep him quite on his feet like a new baby.[[ON INDEFINITE HIATUS]]





	1. Prologue: Breaking News

**Westeros Daily News, Channel 4 Breaking News Bulletin September 29 th, 20—                **

Breaking News Story Transcript:

* * *

 

 _We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this breaking news story. Today, we here at Channel 4 learned_ _of the sudden passing of freelance photographer, Jon Snow, nephew to Catelyn Stark and her late husband,_ _Ned Stark—business tycoon—of Winterfell._

 _Snow, who was known widely for his freelance photography business, was recently hired by journalist, Edd Tollett, writer_ _for the_ Westeros Time _magazine, to accompany him on a trip to The Wall to do the photography for Tollett’s investigative_ _piece on the brutality and internal corruption happening within the Night’s Watch._

 _It has been reported that during the uprising at The Wall that was on tonight’s earlier newscast was when Snow was_ _killed. The uprising is still being investigated, along with Snow’s death. According to lead detective on the case,_ _Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard, Snow’s death appears to be accidental, though the Guard will be exhausting all of_ _their resources to find answers for the family._

 _Three other men were killed in the uprising, and many more were wounded. Tollett was reported to be alive and unharmed. A spokesperson from the_ Westeros Time _has told us that Tollett is being escorted back to King’s Landing immediately upon_ _release from the Kingsguard._

_The Stark family has refused to comment and a representative for the family’s corporation has released the following statement:_

**The Stark family is extremely distraught at the events that transpired earlier today at The Wall. They ask that their privacy be respected at this extremely difficult time and they will not make any further comments on the matter.**

_Snow leaves behind his cousins, aunt, close friends, and fiancé, Robb Stark, current CEO of Stark Family Industries. The couple was set to marry in a small ceremony on October 10 th of this year. _

_Our thoughts and prayers are with the Stark family at this difficult time. This is an ongoing story and will be updated as new information becomes available. Please check back regularly for updates. You can find this story on our website under the_ Breaking News  _heading and can also follow the story on our Facebook and Twitter pages._

_Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a fairly unconventional way to have a the story's prologue, but I think it works well with the direction I'm taking the story—hopefully you think so too! 
> 
> It was a fairly short chapter, but I promise the next one is longer. 
> 
> Happy reading! Xx


	2. Unexpected Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb's trying to handle his loss when he finds out some shocking news.

_Has the wedding date really come and gone?_ Robb thought to himself as he hovered over his desk in the study, eyes scanning over the large desk calendar that had the 10th circled in blue and silver sharpie—the would be wedding colors.

_It can’t be the twelfth already... If that was the case that would mean…_

Fourteen days. Two whole weeks.

Jon had been gone for two whole weeks already and it still felt like the day he got the phone call from his mother, telling him he needed to get down to the estate as soon as possible, that something had happened.

Robb opened his eyes, not realizing that he had even closed them in the first place, and was surprised to see that his knuckles had turned white from where he was gripping the desk so tight. Even more surprising were the tear splatters on the calendar. It hit him at the most random times during the day.

Jon was dead.

Collapsing into the desk chair, Robb slumped down until only a small part of his hair could be seen over the top and he loosened his tie. Work would have to wait another day… or three. It was too soon to go back; he didn’t feel prepared enough to go into an office building and submerge himself into work and meetings that he only half listened to. Sansa could handle things in his absence for a few more days. He had all of his faith in her to not screw something up.

Robb swiveled in the chair and stopped when he was facing the desk properly. It was no surprise really that the first thing his eyes landed on was the silver picture frame that housed a candid shot of him and Jon standing in front of the fireplace at the Stark Estate. They were laughing in the picture, their arms around each other holding tightly. Robb could remember that moment so clearly—the pair had just returned from a two week vacation in Dorne and had requested everyone’s presence for dinner the night they arrived back in Winterfell.

Robb had proposed, Jon had accepted. As Jon recounted to everyone after dinner how the proposal happened, Arya took the picture on her phone and sent it to Robb the next morning. He had fallen in love with the carefree looks on their faces and had it printed out. He had a matching copy on his desk at work and Jon had one clipped to his sun visor in his car.

Out of nowhere, anger bubbled up in Robb’s chest, prompting him to roughly push away from the desk and stand up. The urge to pick up the picture frame and throw it across the room was almost overwhelming, but the small, rational part of his brain told him he’d regret it later. Instead, he picked up a stack of unopened mail that was growing taller with each day Sansa stopped by to check on him and bring in his mail.

Robb perched himself on the edge of the desk, making sure his back was to the picture, and began to flip through the mail. Most of it was things that could simply be tossed, only a few envelopes that were bills and one that was marked as being from…

Oh. Oh no. No, no, no, no.

The mail Robb had been holding fell to the floor and made a loud splatting noise, the envelopes covering his shoes, but one envelope remained clutched in his hand. It was thick with papers and was addressed electronically. Taking another quick glance at the return address caused a second wave of nausea to roll through him and he found himself sitting back in the chair, head practically between his knees.

“Oh fuck, please no,” he groaned out. He sat like that for several minutes until the blood rushing to his head became too painful to stand. With shaky hands, he turned the envelope over in his hands and slid a shaky finger under the loose spot on the flap, tearing it open.

He was frantically searching the first page for answers, becoming increasingly frustrated when he was unable to find what he was looking for. He tossed the page onto the floor at his feet and started to scan the details of the second page when he saw it. His face paled, the remaining documents fell to the floor, and he stood on legs that felt like lead. Time was moving much slower as he took his time making his way to the kitchen where he had left his cell phone.

Retrieving it from the counter, Robb dialed the office number, followed by Sansa’s extension. Her assistant answered, too bright and chipper, and Robb cut her off.

“Put Sansa on the phone.”

The woman on the other end gasped at his rudeness and sounded startled as she spoke to him. “I’m sorry, but Miss Stark is currently in—.”

“I don’t care where she is,” Robb told her. “This is Robb Stark and I need to speak with my sister _immediately_ , so I expect you to put me through to the conference room phone.”

“O-Oh, Mr. Stark I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize your voice over the phone. I… I’ll transfer you immediately!”

Robb heard the click followed by ringing, signaling the transfer of the phone call. Sansa’s voice came across from the other line, her tone the soft one she had been using on him for weeks, yet also quiet as if she was trying to keep the conversation between them only.

“Robb? Is everything all right? Are you okay, should I call Theon or Mum?”

“Sans,” he croaked, his voice nothing like it was moments ago with her assistant. “I need you to leave work and come home o-or come here. I need you to come here. _Right now._ ”

“Woah, woah, what’s wrong? Are you sure you’re okay? Do I need to call someone until I can get there?”

“No, no, don’t call anyone else. Just come home, _please_.” He hated how pained and nervous he sounded as he spoke on the phone. He was sure every warning was going off in Sansa’s brain, but he was afraid to tell her what was wrong, like if he kept his mouth shut, what he just read would all be one big joke. Sansa’s sharper, more on alert tone cut through his haze, causing him to focus back on their conversation.

“I’m going to call Mum right now if you don’t tell me what’s going on. You’re scaring me, Robb…”

“I… Oh shit, Sansa. With Jon and the funeral and work and the investigation and the constant reporter calls, I just… I forgot, okay? I forgot to send in the right paperwork or call or whatever you’re supposed to do and now I can’t change it because Jon and I signed the forms and… and… and…”

“And what?” She snapped.

“Fuck, Sans. Jon and I applied to adopt a baby and we were going to tell you all at the rehearsal dinner but the dinner never happened and I hadn’t been thinking about getting a withdrawal form in to the agency after Jon.. after he, you know, and they mailed paperwork to let us know that our request had been approved and that we were—are—getting to adopt a three month old from the Summer Isles,” he paused only briefly to suck in a large breath before continuing, “and Sans, the paperwork said they’d be contacting us—me—sometime on October 12th… that’s _today_. Oh gods, Sans, I think I’m getting ready to become a dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh, this was _so_ not in the plan for poor Robb Stark. Life as he knows it is about to change like he never expected. 
> 
> Chapter 2 coming soon! 
> 
> Happy reading! Xx


	3. Riley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb makes a decision.

Maybe, just maybe, if he pinched himself hard enough, he’d wake up from this dream-turned-nightmare.

In a feeble attempt to convince himself that he was only dreaming, Robb gathered a bit of skin on his arm between his index finger and thumb and pinched hard enough to make him gasp and pull away. Looking up, he saw Sansa give him a quick glance over her shoulder before she turned her attention back to the woman she had been speaking with.

Sansa told him the woman’s name was Carol and that she was the new adoption agent assigned to his and Jon’s adoption request. When he questioned what happened to Mary Anne, their first agent, she told him that it was her understanding that Mary Anne left to work with a different company somewhere near Bear Island. When Sansa first arrived at Robb’s, she demanded to see all of the paperwork he and Jon had sent in, any copies, and the letter that had come in the mail. After a few calls to various toll-free numbers listed at the bottom of the various papers, she was able to speak with the woman in charge of handling her brother’s adoption request.

“So now we need to decide on how to proceed with this. It’s an extremely unfortunate situation that happened, and there is protocol that’ll have to be followed no matter what decision is made, and I can assure you—and your brother—that I will do anything I can to make this transition as smooth as possible,” Carol told Sansa.

“Honestly, he’s still so… in shock, I guess you could say,” she replied, taking another hurried glance over her shoulder at her brother. “It was a shock to us all, really, and now that this adoption has gone through, I think it’s just set him back again is all. I really don’t know what to expect from him in regards to this decision. Do you think it would be fine if he took a couple of days to compose himself and look at this rationally and with a clear mind? Either way, I think the decision will be somewhat hard for him.”

Carol pursed her lips and pulled the file on her desk closer to her and flipped through a few of the papers inside, her eyes moving quickly from left to right as she searched the pages. “I’m sure we could work something out,” she finally replied, closing the folder and resting her hands on top of it. “Though that will have to be approved by someone higher up. I’d be more than happy to get you in with someone.”

“Realistically, if the time extension goes through, how long are we looking at until a decision needs to be made?”

“Realistically? I’d give it three, maybe four days. Optimistically? I’d say your brother would have a week to make his decision.”

Sansa worried at her bottom lip, carefully making mental notes and trying to prioritize everything within moments. If they could get the extension granted by the end of the week and Robb decided that yes, he wanted to go through with it, they’d have until the following weekend to get his place ready for a baby. If he decided not to go through with it, well, there would be no issue really.

“Even if it were only three or four days, I think it would help him clear his mind before making such a huge decision based all on emotion and—.”

“I’ll do it,” Robb said. His voice was scratchy when he spoke, as if he hadn’t drunk anything in days. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter in the chair he had just been slumped down in. “I mean it. I’ll still go through with the adoption.”

Sansa turned and gave him an equally pleading and worried look as she gently shook her head from side to side. He was being irrational, not thinking his decisions through and what the consequences of said decisions might be.

“Robb, you don’t have—,” she began before he quickly cut her off by standing.

“Yes I _do_. It’s all Jon and I wanted. I _want_ to be a father, Sans, and I want to do this for Jon too. I know he’d do the same thing if our roles were reversed. I’ve had plenty of time to think it through and I’m going to do it. I’m going to adopt a baby and the rest…? Well, I’ll figure out the rest as I go along. But I want this, so I’m doing it.”

Rubbing tiredly at his eyes, Robb exhaled slowly before running his hands through his hair and Carol looked to Sansa for confirmation. Giving the woman a shrug, Sansa stuffed her hands into the pockets of her dress pants and raised a brow at her brother.

“You’re sure about this then?”

“One-hundred percent,” he replied, giving her a nod to solidify his statement.

Carol looked between the two siblings before opening the file once again. “Well, Mr. Stark, I can tell you this much—the child in question for adoption is a three month, two week old little girl. Due to the change in your application status to a single filing, a bit more paperwork will have to be filed and approved before the official adoption request is finalized, but under current circumstances, I don’t see that being an issue. I know you’ve been going through this process for some time now, and I hate to extend it any longer, but it’s the law. While your other paperwork is being sent through for approval, I will need to schedule two appointments with you for a home inspection. Once you’ve passed that, I will be able to submit my final recommendation.”

Robb’s brows furrowed and he pulled out his phone, immediately thumbing through his calendar to check for available dates. As his eyebrows pulled tighter together at the lack of time he had during the next few weeks, Sansa placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

“Don’t worry, I can help,” she whispered, easing his phone out of his hand. “Carol, you said two home inspections?”

“Yes, one before the arrival of the baby to be sure that the house is in order and prepared for her and the second one at a later date to see how she’s adjusted, so it’s crucial the first inspection is scheduled as soon as possible.”

Undoing the cuffs of his shirt, Robb pushed his sleeves up to his elbows and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “So, baby-proofing the place and getting a crib and a swing and bottles and all of that?”

Carol nodded and pulled a piece of paper from her folder and held it out for Robb to take. “This checklist contains the minimum we look for during home inspections, though we _highly_ encourage more. Once you have this taken care of, you or your sister can give me a call and we can schedule a visit. Do you have any other questions?”

Robb had a look on his face as if he was about to back out of the adoption all together, the sheer responsibility of taking care for a baby by himself completely overwhelming.

“I… Maybe I…”

“Do you know her name?” Sansa asked, putting a hand on her brother’s elbow.

“It’s in here somewhere, let me look,” Carol told her as she began flipping through the papers once again. “Ah, yes, her first name is Riley. No middle name specified, so once you’ve been approved for the adoption, you can designate a middle name if you would like.”

A choking sound came from Robb’s throat as he fumbled desperately for Sansa’s hand to hold onto. He squeezed so hard once her hand was in his, she thought for a moment he would crush her fingers. Carol glanced at Sansa, a worried expression crossing her face at Robb’s sudden reaction to such news.

“Riley was the name he and Jon had always wanted to name their daughter,” Sansa explained to Carol. “Riley Isabelle, actually.”

Carol offered up a smile and closed her folder before placing it into her top desk drawer. “Riley Isabelle… It’s very pretty. I think it was meant to be. Mr. Stark, I look forward to speaking with you soon.”

Sansa extended her hand and Carol took it. “Thank you for seeing us. You’ve been a wonderful help already. I’ll be sure he calls you.”

“You have my card, correct?”

Sansa nodded and Carol pulled the strap of her bag onto her shoulder before ushering Sansa and Robb to the door of her office. In the parking lot, Robb leaned heavily against Sansa’s car door, resting his forehead against the cool metal.

“Jon would be proud of you,” Sansa finally said, her voice cutting through the quiet. She looked at Robb across the top of her car, hand on the door handle. Robb looked up and smiled weakly at her before placing his forehead back against the car.

“Come on, get in. I know where we need to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're enjoying this so far! I have the next few chapters already planned out in my head, I just need to find time to actually sit down and write them out. I'm hoping to update once to twice a week, if not more. Thank you for being patient! 
> 
> Next chapter? Robb has to share his news with everyone. 
> 
> Also, I try to read over my chapters three or four times before posting, but eventually I stop catching mistakes. With that in mind, if anyone would be interested in being a beta reader for my upcoming chapters, that would be so fantastic! An extra set of eyes on my work wouldn't hurt at all. If you're interested, please comment below! 
> 
> Thank you and happy reading! Xx


	4. Coming Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb finally breaks the news to his family.

“Go on,” Sansa urged quietly, giving her older brother a gentle prod in the middle of his back. “It might seem silly, but it’ll help—really.”

Robb looked over his shoulder with an exasperated sigh and Sansa prodded him again, her face stern as she did so. With a shake of his head and a shaky breath, Robb stepped around the front of Sansa’s car and over to the headstone that had his and Jon’s names both etched into the granite.

A knot was forming in Robb’s throat as he stood there, hands shoved deep in his pockets. It was a bit unnerving to see his name next to Jon’s, but they had both decided long ago that they would be buried next to each other, no matter what. Robb scuffed at the ground with his shoe before overturning a small rock at the edge where the asphalt drive met the grass.

Robb gave one last glance over his shoulder, saw that Sansa had somewhat retreated in an attempt to offer him some privacy, and for a moment, he wished she would move closer. It was a lot easier doing this kind of thing when someone was next to him, assuring him that everything would be fine.

“Jon,” he murmured, eyes scanning over the letters of his fiancé’s name. “I… I got some good news, I guess you could say. Remember… remember the adoption paperwork we sent in months ago? Well, we were approved, baby. You and me, we’re going to be dads. Well, we were going to be dads but now it looks like I’m flying solo.” Robb stopped, choking back a sob, and pinched the bridge of his nose to try and hold back tears. “It’s a little girl, and her name, oh gods, Jon, you’d love her name because it’s Riley. The name we always wanted for our little girl. Sansa said it’s a sign that I should do this—and I am—I just don’t know how I’m going to do this without you next to me.”

Another sad sigh left Robb’s mouth and he looked back down at his feet. “I’ll bring her to meet you one day, I promise. You’re still going to be her daddy, even if you can’t be here with us. I love you, Jon. Give Dad a hug for me, yeah?” With a sad smile, Robb turned back toward the car and gave a half wave at Sansa to catch her attention. She was on the phone and when she saw him, she quickly muttered something into the receiver and hung up.

“Hey, big bro. Feel any better?” she asked.

Robb wanted to shake his head no, tell her that it was a complete waste of time to even come here, but even he couldn’t lie to himself, not like that. Instead, he shook his head and tried to smile because in all reality, coming to see Jon and tell him the good news made him feel better than expected.

“Good,” Sansa said, nodding with a bit of enthusiasm.

“Who was on the phone?”

Her smile faltered slightly and she pursed her lips, carefully thinking of how to answer Robb’s question.

“Well,” she finally said after a moment, “it was Mom. I told her you had something important to discuss with everyone, so she’s currently putting together dinner and calling the rest of the family so we can all sit down and talk about this. No point in keeping it a secret.”

“Sansa, no,” he whined, dragging his hands down his face. “I can’t, not yet!”

“You have to tell them, Robb, and sooner rather than later. The baby isn’t going to hold off until you tell the rest of the family. Carol said as soon as you pass the first home inspection, you’ll get to pick up Riley. You have to tell them. _Now._ ”

Robb hated when his sister was right and really, there was no arguing with her logic. He had to tell the rest of his family, he just didn’t know how to approach it.

As if she was reading his thoughts, Sansa put her hand on his elbow, leading him over to the car, and sighed. “You don’t have to do this alone, Robb. I obviously support your decision wholeheartedly, and everyone else will too. But even before you tell them, just remember that you’re not alone because I already know. You can do this.”

Robb made no move to get into the car, nor did he speak, so it was a bit surprising when he threw his arms around Sansa and squeezed tightly. “Thanks, Sans,” he muttered into her hair, not letting up on the strength of his hug. “Thanks.”

\--

 “I swear we were going to tell you all at the rehearsal dinner,” Robb said to a completely silent room. All of his siblings were there, his mother, Jojen, Gendry and even Theon, Margaery and Cam had made the trip up to the estate, and not a single one of them was speaking, or even smiling. Except for Sansa. Robb knew he would always be able to count on Sansa to have his back.

“ _So_ ,” Sansa said after no one even attempted to speak, “Robb needs as much help as we can all offer to get him ready for the first home inspection. I figured if we all took turns helping him shop, baby proof his flat, and get the nursery and whatnot put together, we could have this done for him by the weekend, if not Friday! I know it’s a lot to process, but what else is family for?”

She felt Jojen’s arm wrap around her waist and squeeze before he pressed his lips to her temple. “I think that’s a great idea, baby. I’d be more than happy to help with the baby-proofing part of it. Bran could come with me?” Jojen offered, shooting his best friend a look from across the table.

“And Meera too,” Bran finally said. “She would’ve been here tonight, but with work…”

“Oh Robb, you’re going to be a _daddy_!” Margaery practically wailed once she found her voice, and she got up from her seat and practically ran around the table to throw her arms around his neck with a squeeze. “I’m so happy for you, darling! Cam and I both are and we’ll both help you out, no matter what you need, you hear me?” She asked as she pulled away.

It was surprising how quickly the entire dining room practically erupted into conversation, everyone talking quickly about what they could do to help and how to arrange their schedules to be most efficient for taking on such a task.

The only one still not speaking was Catelyn.

The lack of response from Catelyn was not lost on Sansa, nor Robb, who was weakly smiling at the people around him. His eyes landed on his mother’s face and she dropped her gaze almost immediately before she stood and began gathering everyone’s empty plates.

“Here, let me help,” Robb murmured, pushing back from the table and grabbing the plates nearest to him. He followed Cat into the kitchen and sat them down gently next to the sink and reached out to grab his mother by the arm to keep her from disappearing on him.

“Mom, what is it?”

“N-Nothing, I just need to get the dishes cleaned up is all.”

“Mom,” he pressed, a little more of a bite to his tone this time.

“Oh, Robb. Don’t think I’m not happy for you because I am—really I am, baby—but isn’t this all just a bit… sudden? I know how hard you and Jon worked for this chance, and I know this is what the two of you wanted, but he’s not here anymore and you’re left alone to what, entertain some idea that the two of you had?” Catelyn took Robb’s face in her hands and held his gaze. “I just want to make sure you’ve thought this through completely. You don’t _have_ to say yes, there’s no law dictating you do so.”

Something flashed in Robb’s eyes and he pulled back from his mother, his back rigid as he stood there, arms now crossed angrily across his chest.

“Yes I’m _sure_ I want to do this. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have told Carol to continue with the proceedings and to get me the necessary change in paperwork that I would need to fill out. Just because Jon’s well… just because he can’t be here to help me raise our daughter doesn’t mean I’m going to just give up on that dream. I thought you would understand how important this is to us, to _me_.”

“Oh baby, of course I understand. I just don’t want you making decisions when you’re under this kind of stress; I know you’re still not back to work yet, and that’s okay, but I know how something like this can affect you.”

“It’s not affecting me.”

“Robb Stark, don’t you start with me. If you think I can’t see how badly you’re hurting, you’ve got another thing coming to you. And if you remember correctly, I know _exactly_ how you’re feeling right now.”

Now that stung. Robb dropped his arms from across his chest and his shoulders slumped heavily as if they were being crushed under a weight he almost couldn’t handle. Sometimes Robb forgot that he hadn’t just lost his dad that day he busted that sting operation in King’s Landing. His mother had lost her husband that day too in a sudden, unexpected event that no one could have predicted. Tears pricked angrily at the back of Robb’s eyes, and when he looked back up, he saw that Cat’s expression had softened as she leaned against the countertop.

“Mom…,” he choked out, the tears easily welling their way up to pool in his eyes. Catelyn had her arms around him in no time, pulling him close against her chest.

“It’s okay, Robb.”

“Sometimes I really just miss him,” he sniffed, and Catelyn could feel the wet spot forming on her shoulder.

She wasn’t entirely sure if he was talking about Ned, Jon, or the both of them, so she just sighed and rubbed soothing circles on his back with one hand as the other smoothed down his curls. Her voice came out soft as she murmured, “I know baby, I do too. I do too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, here we are! This chapter _almost_ ran away from me, but I think I did a decent enough job of corralling it together. 
> 
> The next chapter I'm still working on currently. It's giving me a few fits, so it might be a few days before I get it posted, but hopefully it won't take long. I also promise that it'll be much less somber and more lively with the growing anticipation of baby Riley's arrival! Yay! Expect some fluff next chapter—it's well deserved, not only for the characters, but for you all as well, don't you think?
> 
> Also, I'm still looking for a beta reader, so comment below if you're interested. I also take suggestions for what you'd like to see in upcoming chapters! 
> 
> Happy reading! Xx


End file.
